KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 10 — Get your chopsticks ready as another well-known ramen place from Japan has swooped into town.
Homemade Ramen Muginae is a brand touted in Japan as one of the top places where visitors queue to savour its carefully crafted, natural broth, as described on its website.
Who can blame the rush to eat this bowl of shoyu ramen? It bears the distinction of being in the Michelin Bib Gourmand Tokyo for nine consecutive years.
For those who don’t trust Bibendum’s choices (case in point: some of the picks in our Michelin guides), this ramen has also won over the Japanese-preferred review site Tabelog, earning numerous awards including the bronze medal.
Expectations were high when we walked through the door of the restaurant along Jalan Sin Chew Kee, since the Michelin logo was displayed proudly outside.
A counter that seats 16 people is the best spot to watch all of the cooking action behind the scenes. Upstairs, there are five private rooms while downstairs there is just one table.
Like watching television, we were glued to the show of the chefs cooking the ramen right in front of us.
Things are done differently here; it isn’t just ramen, which is limited to three choices: Shoyu Ramen (RM40), Wonton Noodles (RM42) and Shio Ramen (RM40).
This place mimics an izakaya – encased in a dark wood interior – offering yakitori, small dishes to pair with drinks, sashimi, Japanese fried items like tempura and fried chicken, grilled items, don (rice bowls) and sukiyaki.
This is a far cry from Japanese outlets that focus only on ramen.
From what we understand from their service staff, Homemade Ramen Muginae is brought in by an F&B company based in China, Currently, their only other outlet in Malaysia is Fish Master in The Exchange TRX.
Behind the counter, Chef Moritani from Homemade Ramen Muginae in Japan presides over the ramen cooking.
Apparently, their team of chefs from China trained in Japan on how to prepare ramen before opening this location which is Homemade Ramen Muginae’s first overseas outlet.
The noodles are reportedly brought in directly from Japan.
Essentially the ramen is divided into two types: Shoyu and Shio. The Wonton Noodles simply adds more dumplings to the bowl of ramen.
In Japan, they serve two types of shoyu ramen: one with a refined chicken-based broth (jidoridashi) or an intense dried fish (niboshi) broth, but in KL, we only have the chicken broth.
The star of the show is definitely their carefully prepared broth, which is declared free from MSG or chemical seasonings, using all natural ingredients.
When tasted, the broth served with a shoyu tare that darkens its colour possesses a clarity like consomme but a depth that suggests endless sleepless nights were spent tying all those flavours together.
Even with a spoonful of chicken oil that gives it a velvety richness, the broth isn’t oily, tempting you to quickly drink every drop.
It’s best to slurp the noodles immediately and drink the broth while it’s hot, following the Japanese custom; otherwise, you may find the noodles too soft or the broth too salty.
The straight noodles, reportedly made with Hokkaido wheat, are smooth, slightly springy and have a tad softer texture than the usual harder noodles cooked al dente elsewhere.
The toppings include their sous vide char siu made with pork shoulder, which can be a bit chewy when you get just the meat part, rather than a combination of meat and fat.
It’s cut into decent-sized slices and blow-torched for extra char.
Also in the bowl, there’s sous vide beef with a pinkish centre and a silky wonton filled with juicy pork that has a gentle ginger flavour.
You also get a marinated whole egg, but the yolk was slightly overcooked with ragged edges, suggesting the kitchen staff needs more practice to perfect it to a jammy consistency.
On the other end of the flavour spectrum, the Shio Ramen is light and clear because the chicken broth is finished with a more subtle salt tare.
It’s a decent bowl that will suit those who enjoy lighter flavours but the star of this place is undisputedly the Shoyu Ramen due to its complex broth using natural ingredients rather than any artificial enhancements.
Glossy photos of the food from their izakaya menu tempted us to order yakitori — including chicken from head to nose, beef, pork and even seafood like abalone.
You can choose salt or sauce for grilling the sticks; the portions tend to be rather small.
We also ordered a Yuzu Whisky Highball (RM36) and their Rare Steak with Yuzu Vinegar (RM58), which featured tender pieces of meat paired instead with calamansi lime and grated radish.
They offer a small selection of sashimi, sushi and even tacos with different toppings.
Salmon lovers can try their Faroe Islands salmon, said to be one of the best farmed salmon compared to the typical Norwegian salmon we get everywhere.
Here their tacos resemble a hand roll since they consist only of seaweed and rice assembled with various toppings like bluefin tuna negitoro, foie gras, salmon and tuna with avocado.
While the toppings are fresh and generous (salmon and avocado) and the sushi rice is well seasoned with vinegar, it faltered because the seaweed had softened and needed work to become crispier for a much needed crunch.
Homemade Ramen Muginae 麦苗
10, Jalan Sin Chew Kee,
Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur
Open daily: 11am to 2pm, 5pm to 11pm.
Tel: 011-19988058
* This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.
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